College Football Playoff payouts make a strong case for Notre Dame’s independence

While schools similar the Alabama Crimson Tide, Georgia Bulldogs, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Michigan Wolverines person been ascendant assemblage shot programs implicit the past decennary and person helped bring connected tons of wealth and worth to their conferences, that can’t beryllium said for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. As a substance of fact, successful their 118 years arsenic a program, they person lone spent 1 play arsenic a subordinate of a conference (2020 with the ACC owed to COVID-19).

Notre Dame mightiness not person the accidental to ever vie for a league rubric game, but the benefits of being an Independent successful shot person their bonuses. For example, Notre Dame tin acceptable up their ain docket freely, portion playing chiefly ACC opponents, they aren’t successful a presumption wherever they person to play 3 ranked opponents successful a enactment similar you could successful the SEC. Perhaps 1 of the biggest bonuses is what they are seeing now, arsenic the programme is capable to instrumentality location a lump sum of currency each to themselves arsenic a effect of their occurrence successful the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.

Looking astatine their upcoming National Championship hostile the Ohio State Buckeyes, they’ll gain $20 cardinal that they’ll divided evenly among the 18 full members of the Big Ten conference. For Notre Dame, connected the different hand, they’ll gain $20 cardinal arsenic good but get to instrumentality each of that themselves since they aren’t successful a conference, per ESPN's Heather Dinich.

Even though the University of Connecticut (UConn) and the University of Massachusetts (UMass) are independents similar Notre Dame, there’s nary allegiance oregon statement with immoderate of those schools wherever they autumn nether immoderate benignant of gross share.

So not lone volition Notre Dame person a accidental to bring location their archetypal National Championship since 1988 connected Jan. 20, but they’ll gain the schoolhouse $20 cardinal that they tin spell and enactment towards keeping the Fighting Irish a shot powerhouse.